PlanningAlerts

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1. This Application is preposterous.
   The area around Manning Road is clearly residential. The road is small, no lines indicated, no gutters towards the end of the street, and potholes in various locations. The properties on the Road and in surrounding roads, are single house dwellings. Some plots of land have been subdivided. There are no apartments or commercial dwellings in the vicinity.

   The amount of traffic alone, caused by this development would be not sustainable. The roads in this particular area are not built to house so many cars, and as such there are currently no footpaths in the area, and even no gutters in this and neighbouring streets.

   The infrastructure to take so many more cars in the area, currently does not exist. This would also be a danger to the children and people who currently live in the area. There are no footpaths and as such people are required to walk on the road. With the amount of additional cars (equal to what would equate to an apartment block), this would be dangerous.

   The area is situated totally within residential houses. There are no commercial properties in the near vicinity. There is no train station, and the buses are a provision for the local community. The enclave of West Lindfield was not designed to house, such a large development, nor all the traffic that accompanies it.

   There is are numerous Childcare centres in the vicinity including, one that has recently opened on Fiddens Wharf Road. This proposed centre, is out of the way for many, and in an area currently populated with sufficient Childcare facilities. This proposal is for a very large facility, which really should be situated closer to public amenities, commercial properties and public transport.

   In relation to the environmental impact. This development would be huge. There are currently magnificent trees and nature on the property. One can only assume that to house such a large facility with basement carpark, that the majority of these would need to be removed. These trees, speak of history, have not reached their lifespan and enable the properties to remain in line with each other. Not to mention the current brush turkey population, and native fauna that inhabit this area. The development would be catastrophic for the fauna that we see in the area.

   The noise that would be generated from this development would be huge. Regardless of which way the wind is blowing (literally) it would have huge impacts, on immediately surrounding properties, not to mention surrounding streets. People who have lived here for a long time, and even those of us who haven't, moved to the area for the peace, and local community feel. This would destroy all of that, and for those that decide that the noise would be too much and move; they would find that their property price would have dropped substantially. This development would impact, not only directly surrounding properties, not only those on Manning Road, but also those in surrounding streets.
   The noise not only from children, but also from equipment that is needed. The area currently does not have Gas. Electricity is used and does black out quite often. The additional stress this would put on the system would be astronomical. The infrastructure in this area was once again not designed to house, nor support such a development.
   In relation to the above are also the air conditioning units that would be required for the development. Regardless of where they be placed this would seriously be noise pollution for the neighbouring properties.
   The above are but some points as to why the development should not be granted. Simply put the size and number of children for this area, is way too large. The location should not even be considered, considering the area that it is proposed.
   A childcare centre that merely by the increased traffic in the area, places other children in danger.
   This area does not currently have the infrastructure to support such a large and dedicated facility.

2. Re DA0671/11

   For Council to even go to the trouble of letting it go past first base is ludicrous. This DA should be refused.

   Reasons:
   1. The infrastructure (including roads, nature-strips, pathways, sewage & water supply & public transport) is not suitable for this development.
   2. There would be loss of amenity & lowering of property values in a precinct that is exclusively residential.

3. This is no way this DA should be approved!

   Given that the proposed DA is in the middle of Bushfire Prone Vegetation there is no direct evacuation route without passing through Bushfire Prone Vegetation.

   Refer: http://www.kmc.nsw.gov.au/resources/documents/Certified_Ku-ring-gai_Bushfire_Prone_Land_Map_and_Bushfire_Evacuation_Risk_Map_2-01-08.pdf

4. The proposed development is in the SEPP5 exclusion zone.

   There is reference to this area with problems of: access, isolated community & bottlenecks in the original document which proposed the SEPP5 exclusion zone. That document was co-produced by the RFS and KMC.

   The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission report made in July 2010 made 3 recommendations that referred to Child Care Centres. In each of those recommendations the vulnerable groups were identified together as: Aged Care Facilities, Hospitals, Schools and Child Care Centres.

   With the proposed Child Care Centre being in the SEPP5 exclusion zone it should treated as a vulnerable group and be excluded from being developed in this area.

   Additionally water mains pressure for Bushfire protection is poor in this area and will be worse now that Sydney Water recently introduced a pressure reduction programme to "improve service" to more of their customers.

   There are three Community Fire Units in Blaxland Rd which is next to Manning Rd. The CFU's are there because we are in a Bushfire Prone Area.

5. Further to my previous objection to the above-mentioned proposed childcare and wish to register my strong objection to this development on the following grounds:

   1. Unsuitability of Use for the Area

   The proposed development provides for a commercial type operation in a low density residential zoning. A centre of this type fails to correlate to the general objectives of this zoning and built form intended for development under the zoning. Specifically we believe that the proposal does not satisfy the aims and objectives for development of the Residential 2 (B) zoning under Schedule 9 of the Ku-ring-gai Planning Scheme Ordinance (KPSO) 1971. It is clearly stated in this document that the objectives of the zoning are to “…maintain and where appropriate, improve the existing amenity and environmental character of residential zonesâ€.
   
   The proposal will be completely out of character with surrounding development and will result in adverse impacts on residents of surrounding properties (including degradation of streetscape, lack of visual integration with surrounding properties in the neighbourhood generally, reduced safety to residents ie most notably children and traffic issues). The size and scale of this use, particularly the large basement car park, represents a significant overdevelopment of the site not reflected in the construction of surrounding development generally. A development of this nature in a street such as Manning Road has the potential danger of setting a dangerous precedent for overstated and out of character projects.

   2. Loss of Streetscape

   Manning Road provides an excellent example of the West Killara area’s scenic streetscape and to place a childcare centre in the road and remove significant vegetation will detrimentally alter the character and beauty of this street.

   3. Street width and parking

   The street is too narrow to support the additional onsite traffic and parking that the childcare centre of this size will ultimately generate. Whilst basement parking will be provided within the proposed development the traffic reports provided by the developer suggest the presence of ample onsite parking in the street which will support the centre.
   Manning Road has kerb and guttering to the southern side of the road and earthen formed embankments with drive over vehicular crossings to the north. The northern side gutters have been laid back with bitumen in part and grass towards the southern section of the road. (which is unstable in nature).
   
   The open gutters and steep embankments (up to 1 metre differential road level) to the northern side of the Road are problematic. Manning Road requires that vehicles be parked away from embankments and open drains to provide unloading space for mothers removing children from car seats and the like. Effective road widths are only between 6.7 and 7.8 metres which is far too narrow when you consider the scenario of cars parked on either side of the road together with buses and trucks navigating in between (Note that Manning Road is a bus route).

   4. Traffic Generation and Pedestrian Safety

   Given the size of the size of the centre and anticipated traffic generation we are concerned that this will have a detrimental impact not only on Manning Road but also surrounding streets. The impact of is further compounded by before and after traffic already generated from nearby Beaumont Road Public School. Pedestrian safety due to increased traffic is a concern around the school and it should be noted that a number of street, in particular Manning Road itself does not have separate pedestrian paths in some cases forcing people to walk on the roads.

   5. Design of the Centre itself.

   The proposal, as it is currently designed, fails to adhere to a number of Council guidelines (namely DCP 57 and 38) as well as KSPO general Child Care Centre design guidelines. DCP 57 – Childcare Centres (3.7. b p7) states: “Where a new child care centre is to be established in a residential street, the applicant must demonstrate that there will be no significant impact to residential amenity or traffic movementâ€. For the reasons set out already in points 1 – 5 inclusive we fail to see how this proposal can comply with this requirement.

   Non code compliance concerns include the number of permitted adjoining properties (no more than 2 although the subject has 4), designated footpaths for pedestrian safety), and the provision of basement car parking verses onsite parking assumptions (which seem designed to “tick a box†rather than provide a real, feasible, convenient and safe child drop off/ customer parking solution).

   Thank you for taking our concerns into consideration. Whilst we are in support of sensible development, including child care centres, we believe that the proposal put forward in this instance is inappropriate for the area, the safety and amenity of residents, and does not comply with a number of established development codes.

   Given the the area of the proposed development is already in a SEPP5 exclusion zone because the Aged are vulnerable as are Young Children, this development should not have even been considered by KMC, it must be rejected immediately.

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